Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-27

thin knockef.
Dear mel" father said, sitting
erect and rubbing his eyes, "who can
that be ?"
You had better open the door,
Lucy" mother said, bundling the I'M
finished stockings together, and pop
ping the basket under the table.
| snoothed the bits Of wool off my
apron, turned the light higher in our
shabby old hall, and opened the door,
and there, under the falling snow, was
my beautiful sister.
As she came into our shabby parlor
and stood among us, she looked like
great figure that a master hand had
painted into poor picture.
"You have come to pay us long
visit, l hope father said, looking ct
her with such fond, proud eyes.
"Yes, dearest, a long, long visit.
She put out her hand TO him IN pet
ting, protecting way that was charming
from her, that would have been ridicu-
lous from me, though l might have
meant il Just as tenderly. " Indeed, /
an not sure that | have not come home
for good.
"For good?" father and mother
echoed rather blankly.
eyes; now don't say you arc sorry,
bending over mother and kissing her as
she spoke. "Aunt Hilda and l have
quarrelled. You remember she said
was real Hurst, so | suppose | have
the Hurst bad temper and obstinacy,
and she did not like that so well.
"And we had thought you were so
happy"
"0h, so l was Aunt Hilda was
kind in many ways; but it is impossi-
bic not to quarrel with her some
times"
"And the man you are to marry
will be not mind?
"Well, as he is the man | am not to
marry it is not of any consequence
whether he does or not.
"But your aunt wrote as if every
thing were settled "
eyes: that is Aunt Hilda's way.
She wished it, and of course it never
occurred to her that my inclination
might be an obstacle. For my part ]
never thought of the man, being proud
of the right | have inherited from my
mother to please myself.
THAT is every woman's right,
mother said, drawing herself ups little,
land we are thankful you have been
true to yourself"
That was all that was said on the sub
iect then. If Marion told the details OF
her parting from Aunt Hilda later | did
not hear them.
When a girl like Marion comes back,
after years of absence, TO home like
ours she is certain to make material
difference to every one in it one way or
another.
At first we were all afraid of her, and
ashamed of our poverty before her just
as if she had been a stranger. But that
wore off by degrees, as, in number of
Undesirable ways, she made life bet
ter for the whole of us. For one thing
it was a Joy to look at her to hear her
voice; to see her smile. And then she
was always so bright, so helpful, so in
dependent. If she regretted the flesh
pots of Egypt, as represented by Aunt
Hilda. she never said so; and where |
should have sat down sometimes to
erumble she bent her mind to see IL
the cause for grumbling might not be
lessened.
Mother pitied Marion for time, be-
cause of what she had voluntarily
abandoned, as she had never pitied
herself; but by degrees that feeling
gave way to contentment in her pres
encc.
OF course people cannot become
cheerful to order; but if they could
what blessing it would prove to those
who live with them Idon't think any
of us ever realized Il at we had much to
be thankful for till Marion was back
with us.
But it was easy for Marion to see the
bright side of life, with face that was
a passport to all hearts. "Who would
not be good that was so lovely 2" l said
to mother one day ; and she answered
that Marion's soul showed itself on her
face.
To think people good because they
are beautiful is an old, old delusion !;
not that / mean that in any mean or
censorious way, for Marion was good
also / only mean that it was easier to
detect the good in her because she was
so beautiful.
At first she had been rather in the
habit of making fun of Mr.. Drew, call
ing him the rosy rector behind his
back, and feigning huge interest in all
his hobbies when he was present; but
after she had heard of the many in
stances in which he had been kind to
father her demeanor altered; she
always spoke Of him gratefully, and lis
tened to his opinions with less assump-
ton Of Difference, but with more gen.
uine interest OF course she did not
mean anything but to be kind, because
she thought him kind and she was
hardly to blame that he mistook her
meaning and learned to love her.
1 saw how things were going well
enough, hut breaking my heart over it
secretly did not mend matters. 1t was
all qnite natural and reasonable. How
could any one think OF me when Marion
was ny {? And yet Idon't think l made
the fact any more palpable by asking
myself that question.
When mother was told that Marion
had refused tir. Drew she was very
sorry. elf It had only been Lucy"
she said, 81 think he would have made
Lucy happy" but being sorry did not
affect the circumstances.
To Marion | am sure it seemed pitt
ful that she should come in the panoply
of her triumphant beauty to wage such
unequal war with her poor little rustic
sister, ard rob her of her solitary al
mirer. know she was as deeply peni-
tent for what had occurred IS though
her misdoing had been intentional, and
her resolve to make amends to me in
some vague way for an unconscious
wrong dated from the hour when she
knew that Mr.. Drew had been interest
cd in me before she came.
She had been six months at Mud
ford, and still Aunt Hilda made no
sign, entrenching herself behind the
Hurst pride and obstinacy, and waiting
for the other side to capitulate.
But Marion was Hurst, too and
when Aunt Eilda had waited till she
WIS weary she remembered that and